The Black Book Festival 2023 (UK) is an annual book event aimed at showcasing African-Caribbean writers, publishers and booksellers.

This grassroots festival is aimed at the African Diaspora and is a platform to showcase the books, talents, services and initiatives that the Black community is making to the book industry throughout the world.

The event provides an opportunity for the global community to:

• listen to new and exciting Black writers and publishers
• learn how to write the book they always knew they had within them
• learn about the global Black book industry
• identify opportunities to publish and exhibit books on the Black experience.

Entrance guideline:

• Free entry to book expo with 40 stalls.
• Paid entrance to seminar presentations and book expo.

Exhibtions (free to all):

1. Images of Windrush from the Windrush Foundation with Arthur Torrington
2. Black Yoga. Featuring the photographs of Michael Khesumaba Jess
3. Art exhibition tba

Online Black Book Festival 2023 Schedule

11am – opening of event and registration

• Black Book Expo opens with 40 stalls
• Pre-Windrush Musical Excursion with DJ Stallion

Part 1: Children and Family Session (free) 12pm to 1.30pm

12pm to 12.20pm

• Seminar room open .
• Children’s Interactive Black History Workout: Quizzes, Riddles and Literacy Games, with Simon Education team

12.25pm to 12.45pm

• African-Caribbean Storytelling with Ashanti and Akeba

1.50pm to 2pm

• Books for Black Children with Educational Psychologist Enomwoyi .

2.05pm to 2.25pm

• Windrush Vibes with DJ Stallion
• Musical lyrics from our youth (main stage)

Part Two: On Writing Our Story (ticket holders only)

2.05pm to 2.30pm

• How to Write, Market and Publicise Your Book, with writing coach Denise Roberts.

2..35 – 3pm

• Getting Your Book Published, with Daniella Blechner of Conscious Dreams Publishing

3pm to 3.30pm

• In conversation with science fiction writer Anton Marks.

3.30pm to 4pm

• Remembering the Windrush Generation, with novelist Tony Fairweather
• Book signing splash with award winning authors, Sandra A. Agard, Dr Martin Glynn and others to be announced.

Part Three: Pioneers (ticket holders only)

4.30pm to 5pm

• The SEADS Project. A presentation on this global Pan-African education movement that is supporting schools in Africa and the Caribbean in developing their libraries. David Simon, the founder of SEADS and the Black Book Festival.

5.05pm to 6pm

• African-Caribbean Spirituality in Literature, with Dr. Michelle Yaa Asantewa. (seminar room)
• Lifetime Achievement Award and tribute to historian Mr Robin Walker. (main stage/free)
• The Power of Poetry (tba in seminar room)

The festival is a fundraiser for our SEADS Project that supports schools in Africa and the Caribbean with educational resources and teacher training.

Please note that the schedule may change due to circumstances beyond our control. We apologise for any inconvenience this cause in advance.

About Simon Education

Simon Education (formerly Ebony Saturday Schools) was started in 1987 by David Simon and Dr. Leonora Simon-Bleasdille to address the needs of the African-Caribbean community in the UK . In 2003 Nneb Akpom-Simon joined the company. The company went on to run ten Saturday schools and tutor over 6000 students. The company now runs an online school , publishing house, online courses for children and adults and two international festivals. In 2020 the company developed the SEADS Project that is now operating in twelve different countries by providing free teacher training and educational resources to schools supporting children from low income families.

Simon education has won numerous awards and its books and courses are sold in several countries.

The company is the publisher of the best-bestselling Genius series: How to Unlock Your Child’s Genius, How to Unlock Your Family’s Genius, How to Homeschool Your Child and Unlock their Genius and How to Unlock Your Genius Using Black History.